Belleville receives $250,000 to build Field of Ability, home of the Challenger Baseball League

TORONTO – Sunday, Kraft Heinz, in partnership with TSN and RDS, announced Belleville, ON as the Grand Prize winner of KRAFT HEINZ PROJECT PLAY 2018. The announcement was made live on TSN and RDS and will see the Challenger Baseball League receive $250,000 to build the Field of Ability following a week of online voting from October 13-19.

The Field of Ability will be home to Belleville’s Challenger Baseball League, which provides an opportunity for children and youth with cognitive and/or physical disabilities to play baseball. The grand prize money will go toward building an accessible baseball field, fostering a greater sense of inclusiveness and community

The three runner-up finalists for KRAFT HEINZ PROJECT PLAY 2018, St. Peter Elementary Playground (Penbrooke Meadows, AB), Shaunavon High School Football field (Shaunavon, SK), and The Skatepark Collective (Antigonish, NS) will each receive $25,000 to help restore their nominated place to play.

“It was wonderful to see the incredible level of passion, dedication and spirit demonstrated by all top four communities and witness what happens when communities rally together for a common purpose,” said Joanna Milroy, Marketing Director, Kraft Heinz. “We’d like to congratulate Belleville on their Grand Prize win and are excited to help them achieve their goal of building the Field of Ability.”

“It has been amazing to again see so many communities across Canada submit nominations as they work towards improving their places to play,” said James Duthie, TSN Host and KRAFT HEINZ PROJECT PLAY Ambassador. “Congratulations to the Belleville Challenger Baseball League on their grand prize win, as well as the other Top 4 projects St. Peter Elementary Playground, Shaunavon High School Football field, and The Skatepark Collective for their passion. We can’t wait to see the wonderful improvements that are made possible by this year’s campaign.”

“Kraft Heinz Project Play has the ability to change lives and secure a better future by building better places to play,” said Valérie Sardin, RDS personality and KRAFT HEINZ PROJECT PLAY Ambassador. “Congratulations to Belleville, Ontario, for winning the 2018 Grand Prize. I would also like to thank all the communities that submitted nominations, as they are also the reason why this project is possible.”

KRAFT HEINZ PROJECT PLAY is a joint partnership between Kraft Heinz, TSN, and RDS to provide Canadian communities from coast-to-coast-to-coast with funds to upgrade play-based infrastructure projects.

For the past 10 years, KRAFT HEINZ PROJECT PLAY has awarded $2.9 million to 81 communities across the country. In total, Kraft Heinz has supported 183 communities, contributing $7 million to local recreational facilities through KRAFT HEINZ PROJECT PLAY, Kraft Hockeyville, and affiliated hockey programs.